Many schools advocate the use of praise over punishments, but sanctions are also common for dealing with misbehaviour and typically part of schools’ behaviour policies. In this article, I explore some possible unintended consequences of punishments.
‘Never punish except in anger’
When dealing with misbehaviour and giving punishments, teachers are often told to keep calm and not be reactive (Cowley, 2014). But Sanderson, famous headmaster at Oundle school 100 years ago, was once reported to have instead said ‘Never punish except in anger’: “ [It] came back with a query : Did he not mean, ‘Never punish in anger’? He was much struck by the difference in outlook revealed by this inquiry. As if I could say anything so silly. To wait and collect evidence and weigh the facts and pronounce judgment in cold blood was, he held, to make a crime of what might be only a thoughtless misdemeanour.”
Sanderson of Oundle, p173
Ultimately, educators want children to do more than
Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page
You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.
To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for ECTs) or log in if you're already a member.
